Fox News Loses Control on Live TV as Trump Gets Worse

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast Summary: "Fox News Loses Control on Live TV as Trump Gets Worse"

Release Date: May 8, 2025

In this compelling episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas delve deep into the tumultuous dynamics between Fox News and the current political landscape, particularly focusing on former President Donald Trump's evolving role. Titled "Fox News Loses Control on Live TV as Trump Gets Worse," the episode unpacks the intricate interplay between media narratives, political accountability, and economic policies, all while maintaining the signature blend of brotherly banter and sharp political insight that has garnered the MeidasTouch Network its vast following.

1. Media Accountability and Fox News' Role

The episode kicks off with a critical examination of Fox News, portraying the network as a "state regime media." Ben Shapiro leads the charge, addressing Fox News hosts' portrayal of the current administration's handling of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies.

At [00:47], Shapiro labels Fox hosts as part of a "state regime media," highlighting their failure to responsibly report on governmental issues. He cites a specific instance where Fox hosts, including Jesse Waters, allegedly promote dangerous expansionist ideologies, such as "stealing land" in the name of American expansionism. Shapiro vehemently criticizes this stance, calling it "pathetic" and "vile," and condemns the normalization of such rhetoric on mainstream media platforms.

2. Government Accountability and Dr. Fauci

The discussion shifts to governmental accountability, particularly focusing on Dr. Anthony Fauci's actions during the pandemic. At [02:52], Kevin Hassett, Trump's national economic adviser, accuses Fauci of lying, specifically over the definition of "gain of function" research. This leads to a broader conversation about the need for accountability for public officials.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna responds assertively at [03:21], expressing her intent to initiate a criminal referral for Fauci's actions. She emphasizes the necessity of Attorney General Pam Bondi to take decisive action, stating, "I will look at doing a criminal referral for those statements." Luna underscores the importance of moving beyond mere "strongly worded letters" to actual legal consequences, highlighting the frustration among constituents for tangible action against perceived misconduct.

3. Economic Policies and Federal Reserve Critique

Economic discourse takes center stage as the conversation navigates through critiques of current economic policies and the Federal Reserve's role. Kevin Hassett attempts to reassure listeners about economic stability, claiming at [04:11], "There are still plenty of things on the shelves" despite previous shipping delays. He attributes economic resilience to policies aimed at "shoring jobs and production," praising former President Trump's approach to economic management.

Ben Shapiro counters this optimism by attacking Hassett's credibility. At [04:57], Shapiro labels Hassett as an "idiot" and accuses him of being perpetually wrong about economic forecasts, referencing the failed predictions before the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. This back-and-forth underscores the polarized views on economic management and the effectiveness of governmental policies.

Further critique emerges when Hassett challenges Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell at [09:16], suggesting political motivations behind economic decisions. Shapiro swiftly dismantles Hassett's arguments, highlighting inconsistencies and perceived political bias within economic modeling and policy implementation.

4. Expansionism and "Manifest Destiny"

A fascinating segment delves into the concept of American expansionism, with both Ben Shapiro and Kevin Hassett engaging in a spirited debate. Shapiro introduces the idea of "manifest destiny" at [01:26], referring to historical U.S. expansions via purchase or force. The conversation progresses towards the contemporary suggestion of acquiring Greenland, sparking a discussion on national survival and ethical implications.

Hassett supports the notion, suggesting that presidents from both parties should secure Greenland "by any means necessary" for national survival at [01:56]. Shapiro challenges this outlook, questioning the moral and practical aspects of such territorial expansions, and highlighting the potential risks and international repercussions.

5. Misrepresentation in Media: The USA Fencing Incident

The podcast addresses media misrepresentation, focusing on a specific incident involving the United States Fencing Association. At [07:05], Ben Shapiro critiques Fox News' coverage of congressional hearings where a photograph was manipulated to portray a fencer giving the middle finger. Shapiro condemns this distortion, emphasizing the broader issue of media integrity and the detrimental effects of biased reporting.

This incident serves as a case study for the hosts, illustrating how media outlets can distort facts to fit particular narratives, thereby misleading the public and undermining trust in both the media and governmental institutions.

6. SNAP Benefits and Budget Cuts

Anna Paulina Luna returns to address the proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), highlighting the severe impact on beneficiaries. At [14:43], Luna criticizes the plan to cut $220 billion from SNAP, poignantly stating, "I cannot wait until voters have an opportunity to say, you took food out of my mouth." She paints a stark picture of how these budget cuts will exacerbate food insecurity and homelessness, urging immediate legislative action to halt these detrimental measures.

7. Infrastructure and FAA Accountability

Laura Ingraham's segment at [15:46] shifts focus to infrastructure woes, specifically the FAA's technical shortcomings leading to significant aircraft delays. She underscores the lack of preparedness by attributing the delays to outdated copper wiring and insufficient fiber optic upgrades. Ingraham challenges the administration's blame-shifting, asserting, "when it's happening on your watch, you are responsible," and calls for concrete solutions rather than deflecting blame.

8. Concluding Insights and Call to Action

As the episode draws to a close, the hosts reinforce the theme of accountability, both in media and government. Ben Shapiro encourages listeners to seek truth and demand transparency from their leaders, emphasizing the importance of informed citizenship in preserving democracy. The brothers wrap up with a call to action, urging their audience to stay engaged, hold officials accountable, and support media outlets that prioritize integrity over sensationalism.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Ben Shapiro ([00:47]): "Fox News hosts like Jesse Waters are promoting dangerous handling of agencies, which is pathetic and vile."

• Kevin Hassett ([02:52]): "Dr. Fauci lied. At a minimum, he played semantics over the definition of gain of function."

• Anna Paulina Luna ([03:21]): "I will look at doing a criminal referral for those statements. I will do it as soon as I get back to my office."

• Ben Shapiro ([04:57]): "Kevin Hassett is an idiot. He's wrong about everything."

• Josh Hawley ([11:20]): "Donald Trump is turning the country around in 100 short days and that's why they're desperate."

• Anna Paulina Luna ([14:43]): "I cannot wait until voters have an opportunity to say, you took food out of my mouth."

• Laura Ingraham ([15:46]): "When it's happening on your watch, you are responsible. The buck stops with you."

Conclusion

This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast masterfully intertwines media critique, political accountability, and economic discourse, providing listeners with a nuanced understanding of the current political climate. The Meiselas brothers adeptly dissect complex issues, offering insightful commentary while maintaining an engaging and accessible dialogue. Whether addressing media biases, governmental accountability, or economic policies, the podcast remains a vital source of informed and passionate discussion, reaffirming its status as a cornerstone for millions of supporters advocating for democracy and truth.

Transcript

[Laura Ingraham]

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[Laura Ingraham]

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[Ben Shapiro]

That was a host on state regime media known as Fox right there, calling out the current regime for, for its dangerous, dangerous handling of the FAA and across its agencies. That's on Fox. But of course, you then have other hosts on state regime media known as Fox, like Jesse Waters saying, look, the United States just needs to steal land. That's what we do in the United States. Let's steal Greenland. Let's take land. Manifest destiny. We need conquest. This is pathetic, vile. Host from Fox, Jesse Waters. Play this clip right here.

[Kevin Hassett]

And he's also talking about, he doesn't.

[Ben Shapiro]

Like Trump talking about expanding.

[Kevin Hassett]

The United States has always expanded, either.

[Ben Shapiro]

By force or we buy things.

[Kevin Hassett]

We bought Alaska from the Russians.

[Ben Shapiro]

We bought half the country from the French. We beat the Mexicans, the Native Americans, the Spanish, the British.

[Kevin Hassett]

That's how we do things here.

[Ben Shapiro]

It's manifest destiny. And if we find out that we need Greenland as a matter of national survival, of course, any president, Republican or Democrat, should, should get it by any means necessary. And it looks like right now we.

[Kevin Hassett]

Have our intelligence agencies in Greenland on.

[Ben Shapiro]

The ground right now, ensuring that they vote for independence.

[Josh Hawley]

That's right.

[Ben Shapiro]

You know, when you say things like that, Jesse, I know you think that that's, you know, funny or that's entertainment or anger, tainment or rage baiting for your audience. What you mean by that is you want to send young men and women to die in wars against our allies. So shut the up because you have no clue what you're talking about. You have no clue what sacrifices. And you live in your $20 million homes and behave the way you do, like a reckless maniac while you cause harm to the American people. You and other state regime media hosts. Here's Will Kaine who's trying to be like Jesse Waters and Jesse Waters trying to be like Tucker Carlson with maga Republican Congressmember Anna Paulina Lunon. And here they they're talking about they got to go after Dr. Fauci. That's how they spend their day. Go after Fauci. Here, play this clip.

[Kevin Hassett]

And that's what I want to lean in on for a moment, Congresswoman, because I think at this point everybody watching knows that Dr. Fauci lied. @ a minimum, he played semantics over the definition of gain of function, but that it amounted to a lie. Let's set aside the pardon for just one moment. I don't know if the pardon covers any potential accountability for perjury, but would you like to see, and I think everyone watching finally wants to hear about some form of accountability. Would you like to see something done here by Attorney General Pam Bondi?

[Anna Paulina Luna]

Yes. And what I will tell you is to give assurance because I know people are tired of members of Congress sending strongly worded letters. I'm also very tired of that. I want to see action. I will look at doing a criminal referral for those statements. I will go on record for that and I will do it as soon as I get back to my office. But what I also want to say is the attorney general has the ability to put some teeth behind what we are trying to do in Congress. Remember, Congress is not a punitive arm, although we reserve the right for inherent contempt, having the Department of Justice for referral. They need to really follow up. As you know, I also referred some of these sanctuary city mayors. So I do believe what he did was wrong. I do believe that he needs to be brought to justice. And I will happily authorize a criminal referral. And I will also be asking Chairman Comer to help authorize that as well.

[Ben Shapiro]

Next up, I will show you Kevin Hassett right here, Donald Trump's national economic adviser on Laura Ingraham. Play this clip.

[Kevin Hassett]

Well, the scare monitoring is happening now, but I can tell you that I get real time data every day on whether there are shortages. And I can report that that there are still plenty of things on the shelves. There were a couple of weeks where shipping from China was lower, but now shipping from a lot of other countries is going way, way up. So people don't have to be worried about what the scaremongers are saying. These policies are on shoring jobs, on shoring production. You can see it in the jobs data. You can see it in the explosion in manufacturing jobs already Even before the tariffs came in the way to think about it for me, Laura, is that President Trump did something last time, looked and saw that it really worked and now he's doing more of it a little bit bigger. But that's what you should do. You should do something, see if it works or not and then change. And that's what he's doing. He's ramping up the ante because he saw that it worked to the past.

[Laura Ingraham]

Well.

[Ben Shapiro]

And here they are bragging about how the federal government is unlawfully taking away $2.2 billion from Harvard and they're celebrating this like it's a good thing. Yeah, Celebrate the fact that you're gutting the America's top university. And now our top professors and scientists are being recruited by Europe, by China, and by other nations, you freaking moron state regime. Great to celebrate this as now brain drain is taking a hold and the brand of America has been damaged by morons like you. Here, play this clip right here.

[Laura Ingraham]

Good evening, everyone. I'm Laura Ingraham. This is the Ingram Engel from Washington. Tonight back big news for the Crimson, as in the Harvard Crimson. You know, Harvard University's motto is Veritas truth. And the truth is tonight, Harvard just lost 2.2 billion with a B. Federal dollars.

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[Ben Shapiro]

I do want to show this other moment, though, when Fox was covering the congressional hearings that was taking place and they pointed out a moment where these MAGA Republicans were trying to make it seem like the head of the United States Fencing association was giving the middle finger to like a selfie photo. But then as a Democratic congresswoman pointed out Marjorie Taylor Greene and the magazine manipulated the photo. He had two fingers up and they cut off one finger to make it look like he was giving the middle fingers. Play this clip and then I'll explain to you. Ben, what are you fencing? What are you talking about here? Play this clip.

[Laura Ingraham]

I had already spent the money on competition fees and new equipment and spent hours training.

[Anna Paulina Luna]

I felt trapped.

[Laura Ingraham]

I had been defrauded of a women's tournament and sold a lie by USA Fencing.

[Anna Paulina Luna]

Now, one big fight, Martha, has been.

[Laura Ingraham]

Over a picture of the chairman. Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene actually brought it.

[Anna Paulina Luna]

Up during the hearing. And Democrats said this was a big misrepresent representation.

[Laura Ingraham]

Watch this. Mr. Lafelt came in here today saying that this is game day. You're right, Mr. Leel, this is game day. The document that you have up behind you is a misrepresentation of the actual post. It appears that you're trying to misrepresent a witness here who you use subpoena powers.

[Ben Shapiro]

Yes, folks, fencing and why fencing? I'll do a whole other video on this today. But the MAGA Republicans did a hearing for their Doge government efficiency, whatever the hell they're talking about, which by the way, is going to cost trillions of dollars, add trillions of dollars to our deficit and has saved nothing. It's stolen your data, by the way. But the Doge hearing led by Marjorie Taylor Greene, they had the head of USA Fencing because they wanted to talk about how there was a trans fencer, transgender fencer, and that that was offensive to them even though the fencing USA gets no money from the federal government anyway. I'll do another video on that. Laura Ingraham then asked Kevin Hassett, Trump's national economic adviser, about firing Jerome Powell. Play this clip for Heart of Hearts.

[Laura Ingraham]

Do you believe that Jay Powell is acting more politically than economically in his.

[Kevin Hassett]

I won't comment directly on Jay Powell, but I do know that there's a committee at the Fed right now that's been appointed mostly by Biden people and they have a worldview that's inconsistent with the facts of the of the previous term. Don't forget when we had the Tax Cuts and Jobs act that created the explosion in wages, the reduction in income inequality, the massive explosion in jobs all the time. This is going to be inflationary and.

[Laura Ingraham]

It was Kevin, I have to.

[Kevin Hassett]

That's right.

[Ben Shapiro]

By the way, this guy Kevin has, is an idiot. He's wrong about everything. This is the guy right before the dot com bubble bursted in 2000. He's like, it's about to soar and it, and it bombed. This guy's wrong about literally everything. I think it was he and Peter Navarro, remember, they guaranteed, remember they said, we guarantee you quarter one will not have any contraction at all. We will grow. There will not be negative gdp. Well, they're just wrong about everything. And they just move on to the next lie. Here's Kevin Hassett again attacking the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. Play this clip.

[Kevin Hassett]

Well, first we, we respect the independence of the Fed, but I don't always agree with Sherman J. Powell on policy and I still, as I said before in the last few weeks after the President talked about the Fed again, that I am dismayed that they've got bad economic modeling of what might happen to tariffs. They said, you know, if you look at the Wall street folks, they're saying that the tariffs are going to crater the economy. Meanwhile we got really strong jobs and we don't have the inflation that they said was going to happen. And so to have the Fed out there job boning against the President's policies, I, you know, they didn't do that when Joe Biden was printing money and spending it and creating 20% inflation. And so it just makes me wonder about like what's wrong with their models or what's wrong with their politics.

[Ben Shapiro]

Then on Hannity you had Josh Hawley talk about, you know, these people live on different planets. They're from different, different Mars. This guy talking about, play this clip.

[Josh Hawley]

These people live on a different planet, Sean. They're totally out of touch with reality. Donald Trump is turning the country around in 100 short days and that's why they're desperate.

[Kevin Hassett]

The Democrats are desperate.

[Josh Hawley]

They're jetting around now to foreign countries.

[Kevin Hassett]

To hold hands with terrorists.

[Ben Shapiro]

Here he is blaming the current rising inflation and former President Biden. Let's play it areas is that Joe.

[Josh Hawley]

Biden and Buttigieg and all the rest, they now act like they have no idea how the country got into this state.

[Kevin Hassett]

I mean, my gosh, inflation's really high.

[Josh Hawley]

Gee, how did that happen? I don't know. Maybe it's because Joe Biden shut down American energy production, spent 3, 4 trillion dollars on green new Deal giveaways.

[Ben Shapiro]

And may I just contrast that to some normalcy here as well? Like Minnesota Governor Walz was on Msnbc last night, and here's what he said. Let's play the clip.

[Josh Hawley]

You know, he told you he would end the war in Ukraine, he would bring prices down eggs. And now telling people, when did government get to tell you how many dolls your child has? I mean, this was my whole point about this. You know, government just big enough to fit in your bedroom, your womb, and apparently now in your toy chest. That is, it's insane. It's a command economy. With him dictating is no free market principles. My farmers have worked years to cultivate markets in a free market around the world, and we have thrived at that. We feed the world, we clothe the world. We power the world. Donald Trump is now deciding that he gets to do all of that. And the real thing is, is to enrich the industries he chooses. He's picking the winners and losers. And in this case, the billionaires are winning. The rest of us are losing.

[Ben Shapiro]

Here he is again. Play the clip.

[Josh Hawley]

You know, I don't know this for my amateur psychologist. I think he listened to one class when he was back in the 80s or something at Wharton in his six months there or whatever. And he misreads this. It's a ludicrous philosophy. No one agrees with him. And then they come back to, well, Democrats put tariffs on. Yes, they're a tool, they're a scalpel. You can use them when you have unfair practices. But he's talking about the thing that drives me insane with working with Canada and Mexico. He's the guy who negotiated the deal and then he turns around and says, well, we don't care much about Canada. I was glad to see the, you know, the prime minister coming in saying, from Canada of saying, are you out of your mind? Your biggest trading partner. They are our biggest trading partner in Minnesota. They're our dearest friends. They're, they're who we care about. He has no concept. This goes back to that idea. So many Americans thought, you know, we need to hire a businessman to run government like business. Two things about that are wrong. No, we don't need to run government like a business because we're not in the profit making. We're in the proving lives and looking towards the future. And this guy has a proven track record of being an absolute failure. And I think the opening for Democrats is to work with the business community. I am home to many large Fortune 500 companies that are put at risk by this. And I'll just say this, I'm calling these folks out. They need to stand up. He threatens them he threatens universities, thank goodness, Harvard standing up to them. But that's how he gets things done. He doesn't get it done through competency. He doesn't get it done through results. He gets it done through fear, intimidation. And I'm with you. I wish he could have been weirdly obsessed with, like, pickleball or something, rather than tariffs. That's where he could spend his time. But it's on this tariff thing that doesn't work.

[Ben Shapiro]

And here's Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Let's play it.

[Anna Paulina Luna]

They also were supposed to have a markup as it relates to agriculture and SNAP benefits. Cutting $220 billion from SNAP when people only get $6 a day to eat in SNAP benefits for those that do receive it. And the last time I checked, you probably can't get 12 eggs for. For that amount of money. And so instead of doing it literally, there was a leak in a story that came out where staffers said, no, we want to make sure we can flood the zone. So whenever we do this, we're going to make sure that these committees are going to be, at the same time, like, the fact that you're hiding from your constituents, the fact that you literally just are like, let me just throw everything at you so that we can overwhelm you instead of actually doing your job. I cannot wait until voters have an opportunity to say, you took food out of my mouth. You took a roof from over my head. You are responsible for making sure that I do not have health care. I'm gonna make sure you don't have a job.

[Ben Shapiro]

Do you see the contrast there, folks?

[Josh Hawley]

Do you see.

[Ben Shapiro]

Oh, let me show you the full clip of that FOX host, by the way, who I showed you at the beginning. Let's play it.

[Laura Ingraham]

They say, what happened in Newark. We are seeing an increase in problems. And there weren't these problems in the past four years. Since January, there have been five significant crashes. That hasn't been since 2009. So if everything happened in the last four years and nothing happened during the last four years, I'm not buying it. Additionally, because it comes down to two things, staffing and equipment. And specifically, they say in Newark, it comes down to one copper wire. Pete Buttigieg specifically wanted the 50 airports in the United States that need to have fiber, that need to have Internet and not copper, and he wanted those changed. People seem to think that, you know, anybody who is in charge of the FAA can just. And even the president can just, you know, write a check and hand it off. No, they can't we have something called Congress that those funds have to be approved with and from legislation that has to go through there. So, you know, for this administration right now to blame the former administration, I'm sorry, when it's happening on your watch, and if this were a Democrat, I'd say the same thing. When it's happening on your watch, you are responsible. The buck stops with you. Stop deflecting blame. Show some solutions, specific solutions, so that we can all be safe. I flew into JFK last night. Three and a half hour delay. But I am here. Thanks, Obama. You said something about five crashes being the worst.

[Josh Hawley]

What did you mean by that?

[Laura Ingraham]

Since January, there have been five significant incidents. And that's the worst you said, since 2009? Yes.

[Josh Hawley]

I would like a check on that.

[Ben Shapiro]

There you have it. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Thanks for watching.

[Unknown]

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